NSF Partners with White House on Quantum Workforce

As part of a broader effort to expand the quantum workforce, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has issued a $2.2 million grant to the Montana-Arkansas (MonArk) NSF Quantum Foundry, led by Montana State University and the University of Arkansas, to create the Arkansas-Montana-South Dakota 2D Quantum Photonics Alliance (2DQP Alliance). The alliance extends the foundry to the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

The announcement was made concurrently with the release of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s (OSTP) National Quantum Coordination Office (NQCO) and the NSF’s National Strategic Plan for Quantum Information Science and Technology Workforce Development. On Feb. 1, the White House OSTP, the NQCO, and the U.S. NSF — in coordination with the National Q-12 Education Partnership — convened educators and leaders in Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) to explore training and education opportunities for the U.S.’s future QIST workforce. The event focused on ways to engage young minds in QIST and established tools to help improve early (K-12) education and outreach.

A product of the National Science and Technology Council Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science, the National Strategic Plan for QIST Workforce Development recommends a series of actions and community opportunities to grow the QIST workforce through expanded training and education at all levels. The plan will help guide QIST workforce efforts in the coming years as the U.S. works to strengthen its pool of quantum-ready workers.

Additionally, the NSF is issuing a solicitation for proposals through the Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (ExpandQISE) program to launch QISE research and education activities for students at all levels and from all backgrounds. With grants up to $5 million over five years, the program will expand quantum engagement to new institutions, with a particular focus on those where more than half of students are from groups underrepresented in the sciences.